DeepSeek is nearing a $7.4 billion financing that would rank among the largest startup funding rounds in China. Tencent is expected to be among the investors, alongside other backers, according to people familiar with the round.
8:36 AMPYMNTS8 stories from 6 sources
AI capital and enterprise distribution bets scale sharply
Day’s Recap
Supporting Articles
Lila Sciences is in talks to raise about $2 billion at an expected pre-money valuation of roughly $8.5 billion. The discussions reflect continued investor appetite for AI research startups at large valuations.
12:10 PMBloomberg MarketsAnthropic expanded its Claude Partner Network, reporting over 40,000 applicants since March and more than 10,000 consultants certified to build and deploy Claude-based solutions. The updates aim to formalize and scale the ecosystem of service firms implementing Claude for enterprises.
1:42 PMPYMNTS8:36 AMPYMNTS
DeepSeek Nears Deal to Raise $7.4 Billion for Open-Source AI
Summary
DeepSeek is nearing a $7.4 billion financing that would rank among the largest startup funding rounds in China. Tencent is expected to be among the investors, alongside other backers, according to people familiar with the round.
Why it matters
A $7.4 billion round would reset expectations for how quickly open-source AI can scale in China and how aggressively incumbents will fund it.
12:10 PMBloomberg Markets
Lila Sciences Said in Talks for Funds at $8.5 Billion Valuation
Summary
Lila Sciences is in talks to raise about $2 billion at an expected pre-money valuation of roughly $8.5 billion. The discussions reflect continued investor appetite for AI research startups at large valuations.
Why it matters
A successful raise would signal that investors are willing to underwrite multi-billion-dollar R&D bets, reshaping valuations across the AI startup stack.
1:42 PMPYMNTS
Anthropic Updates Partner Program As Enterprise AI Adoption Grows
Summary
Anthropic expanded its Claude Partner Network, reporting over 40,000 applicants since March and more than 10,000 consultants certified to build and deploy Claude-based solutions. The updates aim to formalize and scale the ecosystem of service firms implementing Claude for enterprises.
Why it matters
A scaled partner channel can lock in enterprise demand and make Claude a default choice through implementation influence.
Other Developments
A curated list of other prominent stories from this day.
Lovable signed an expanded multiyear agreement with Google Cloud that would increase its Google Cloud usage by about 5x, according to a source. The arrangement also expands Lovable's access to Anthropic's Claude models.
6:56 PMTechCrunchCoralogix raised $200 million to expand its observability platform as companies put AI systems and agents into production. The company is betting that monitoring, debugging, and reliability tooling will become mandatory infrastructure as autonomous software proliferates.
9:02 AMTechCrunchPaypercut, a Bulgaria-based payments platform focused on Central and Eastern Europe, raised EUR5 million in a seed round co-led by Concentric, Passion Capital, and Araya Ventures. The funding positions the company to build out its product and expand regional coverage.
5:00 AMFinextraPropsoch, a Bengaluru-based homebuyer advisory platform, raised $2 million in seed funding led by Athera Venture Partners, Sparrow Capital, and Vakil Group. The company will use the capital to deepen research and advisory capabilities, hire across functions, and expand into new markets.
2:45 AMThe Property TimesCalifornia Naturals closed a Series B round led by Align Ventures to fund retail expansion and new product category launches. Founder Shelby Wild is handing day-to-day leadership to Hayden Hiatt as CEO.
12:01 AMWWD6:56 PMTechCrunch
Lovable signs multiyear deal with Google Cloud to up usage 5x, source says
Summary
Lovable signed an expanded multiyear agreement with Google Cloud that would increase its Google Cloud usage by about 5x, according to a source. The arrangement also expands Lovable's access to Anthropic's Claude models.
Why it matters
Big cloud commitments and model access are becoming strategic weapons, shaping which AI startups can scale and on whose terms.
9:02 AMTechCrunch
Coralogix raises $200M on bet that someone needs to watch the AI agents
Summary
Coralogix raised $200 million to expand its observability platform as companies put AI systems and agents into production. The company is betting that monitoring, debugging, and reliability tooling will become mandatory infrastructure as autonomous software proliferates.
Why it matters
If agents become common, the winners will be the companies that can prove control, auditability, and uptime, not just model quality.
5:00 AMFinextra
Paypercut raises EUR5m for Central and Eastern European payments platform
Summary
Paypercut, a Bulgaria-based payments platform focused on Central and Eastern Europe, raised EUR5 million in a seed round co-led by Concentric, Passion Capital, and Araya Ventures. The funding positions the company to build out its product and expand regional coverage.
Why it matters
Seed investors are still underwriting payments infrastructure plays when they offer clear regional wedge and expansion path into larger European flows.
2:45 AMThe Property Times
Propsoch Raises USD 2 Million in Seed Funding Led by Athera Venture Partners, Sparrow Capital and Vakil Group
Summary
Propsoch, a Bengaluru-based homebuyer advisory platform, raised $2 million in seed funding led by Athera Venture Partners, Sparrow Capital, and Vakil Group. The company will use the capital to deepen research and advisory capabilities, hire across functions, and expand into new markets.
Why it matters
Capital is flowing to proptech models that monetize trust and information advantage, not just listings and lead generation.
12:01 AMWWD
EXCLUSIVE: California Naturals Closes Series B Funding, Names Hayden Hiatt CEO
Summary
California Naturals closed a Series B round led by Align Ventures to fund retail expansion and new product category launches. Founder Shelby Wild is handing day-to-day leadership to Hayden Hiatt as CEO.
Why it matters
The combination of growth capital and a CEO transition typically marks the moment a brand pivots from product-market fit to repeatable, retail-scaled execution.
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